David Cameron backed down and agreed to delay a military attack on Syria following a growing revolt over the UK’s rushed response to the crisis on Wednesday night.

The Prime Minister has now said he will wait for a report by United Nations weapons inspectors before seeking the approval of MPs for “direct British involvement” in the Syrian intervention.

Oh look … Cameron plans on getting the approval of Parliament before committing British troops to war.

That’s because opposition British politicians apparently play hardball while ours … well they talk and complain a lot:

Senior sources had previously suggested that Britain would take part in strikes as soon as this weekend which meant an emergency recall of Parliament was necessary on Thursday.

However, following Labour threatening not to support the action and senior military figures expressing concerns over the wisdom of the mission, the Prime Minister on Wednesday night agreed to put British involvement on hold.

The climbdown is likely to be seen as an embarrassment for Mr Cameron as he was determined to play a leading role in British military strikes, which had been expected this weekend.

French President Francois Hollande said on Thursday that Syria needed a political solution, but that could only happen if the international community could halt killings like last week’s chemical attack and better support the opposition.

Hollande sounded a more cautious note than earlier in the week, when he said France stood ready to punish those behind the apparent poison gas attack that killed hundreds of civilians in Damascus.

He indicated that France was looking to Gulf Arab countries to step up their military support to the opposition to President Bashar al-Assad, after Paris said this week it would do so.

Not exactly the saber rattling that was going on a few days ago. It appears a “political solution” may be code words for “yeah, we’re climbing down too.”

Don’t expect a climbdown here. At least not anytime soon. Not only has President Obama said he doesn’t need Congress’s approval, he’s also decided he doesn’t need to inform the American people of his decision via a televised Oval Office announcement. However he would like the cover of a coalition (my, the shadenfreude here is delicious, isn’t it?).

If one had to guess, however, any strike this week would be sans the British and the French. And that may be enough to delay an American strike (don’t forget, President Obama claims he hasn’t made a decision yet).

Russia will “over the next few days” be sending an anti-submarine ship and a missile cruiser to the Mediterranean as the West prepares for possible strikes against Syria, the Interfax news agency said on Thursday.

“The well-known situation shaping up in the eastern Mediterranean called for certain corrections to the make-up of the naval forces,” a source in the Russian General Staff told Interfax.

Interesting. And, if the strikes don’t happen now, who will claim to have helped called the coalition’s bluff?

As with most things concerning foreign affairs that this administration involves itself, this is turning into a debacle of major proportion.

Breaking on Hot Air

Blowback

Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.

Obama’s decision to bomb Syria has been so ineptly handled and communicated that it almost seems as if is was deliberately made for the purpose of making America look weak, foolish, and inconsequential on the world stage…oh wait!

To be fair, how could anyone know? Right after the neurotoxin attack the area received conventional shelling over a couple days. an NBC (nuclear biological and chemical) sample will reveal the presence of the toxin. but not who used it.

We know the rebels got into Assad’s stockpiles.

Even if our clown posse regime showed me a video of Assad;s guys doing this, I would still want second and maybe third source confirmation. Our government is no longer trustworthy.

Obama’s decision to bomb Syria has been so ineptly handled and communicated that it almost seems as if is was deliberately made for the purpose of making America look weak, foolish, and inconsequential on the world stage…oh wait!

Mr. Arkadin on August 29, 2013 at 3:23 PM

IIRC, the old Cold War saw was the Russians play chess and the Americans play poker.

While American were under siege and a hot attack was underway in Benghazi, Obama, Panetta, and the US armed forces stood down! Panetta testified that “We can’t be 911 to the world”!! When the muzzie president’s buddies need him, the big O will attack! He should be impeached or tried for treason! It is so obvious that he is undermining this great country! He acts as the de facto leader of the Muslim Brotherhood! I do not want our military might fighting for them like they did in Egypt and Libya!! Wake up patriots!!